St. Paul daily globe., 1887-05-15
LAST OF THE COURSE.
Prof. Quinn Ends His Musical
Letters and Reviews the Sc

ries.
NJ. l.. Quinn delivered the last lecture
to the musical association of Geth-
Semane church in the second course last
night. In the first course of fifteen Q5)
lectures Mr.. Quinn examined the music
Of Egypt and Greece, and then took up
the historical development of musical
character as exhibited in the seven great
masters - Palestrina, Bach, Handel,
Gluck. Hayden, Mozart and Beethoven.
With Palestrina Mr.. Quinn considered
the peculiarities of church music;
were examined from a historical
and eSthetic standpoint; Handel and
the oratorio were the subjects of the
fourth lecture. Gluck and the grand
opera were then considered technically
and esthetically. Hayden and the doc
trine of logic eliminating in the sonato,
form, and Mozart improving Father
Hayden by the use of logical or beau
tiful melodies; Beethoven, the last
Beethoven of the great masters, and the
doctrine of exploitation, forming the
climax of all logical effort in musical
versificatiOn. Mr.. Quinn showed in
each of these lectures that one could
not understand any of these masters or
their forms without being educated in
the elements of music, i. e., harmony or
dictionary of functions, counterpOint or
figures OF speech, fugue or prose compo-
sitiOn and musical design, form or versi-
ticatiOn. The idea was broached
of one conversing in an I'M
were to teach any other language as music
is usually taught in this country and
Europe, they would be sent to the in
sane asylum as deranged. Yet the
masses of the people are continually
taken in' by parrots who teach a
language in which they cannot con-
verSe-compOSe-and are fooled into
the notion that they will be linquists
when they can perform, irrationally,
/. e., distorting the intention of masters,
because they do not distinguish one
element from another. No, knowledge
is unreal If it cannot be used in original
compositions. Every real teacher in
any language knows that Froebel was
right in his great work on teaching
when he discovered ''that knowledge to
be real must be so thoroughly graSped
by the student that he can recreate the
idea in new FORMS" If one understands
any word thoroughly, he can use it in
all of its functions correctly in English,
Let us converse, or compose.
Schubert, Schuman, Weber. Spohr,
Mendelssohn, Cimarosa and Cherubini,
with their style, history, favorite
musical forms and pecularitieS, were
examined. There has been no course
of lectures delivered in the United
States of this same compass or quality.
Mr.. Quinn showed in each of these lect-
ureS that each master respected just
what so,called musicians of this country
and Europe so often neglect-the differ
ence between the ''thing in itSelf'' of
Kant, the idea and its representations
of Plato, 1.-The will and idea" of Schop-
enhaucr. When one can grasp
musical idea or function, then they can
execute its repreSentation-not before.
Anyone that understands few func-
tions can compose. Each of the
great masters were abused by
quackS and impost0rs OF every sort.
Each Of them were respected when they
were dead-none of them were while
they lived. Each was martyr to
cause.-the elevation Of the people.
Every artist that has lived has been the
victim of vicious representation. Each
of them were bounded out of the locality
one after another--all on.account of their
love for their art. They endeavored to
show the people that the study of signs
and symbols and physical technique
were useless. To derive any good
from the study of music one must
learn to ''hcar with the eye and see with
the ear" They must follow the
foOtpathS of genius historically
and live or be ethically developed with
it. Then we can hear the groan or see
the smile of an artist and be by them
brought nearer to truth or God. None
of the great masters forgot their maker
or neglected to praise him at times.
This, no doubt, is the reason that they
We're. as Handel was always-even in the
midst of intense pain-singing ''Halle-
lulah" choruses, or 81 know that my
Redeemcr liveth." This steadfastness
to God or tho beautiful formed their
subjective character and endeavor to
make all iTen sec that "thc Lord ON